Columbus Crew SC vs. Montreal Impact | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Columbus Crew SC made one of the biggest statements in Week 1 by going to BMO Field and defeating the defending MLS Cup champions, handing Toronto FC a 2-0 loss. It was a masterful performance by a team some were sleeping on entering the 2018 campaign, as Crew SC won their season opener for the first time since 2014.

Columbus Crew SC

All the talk heading into Week 1 was about Toronto and their star-studded lineup following a historic treble-winning 2017, while there seemed to be more questions than answers about a Crew SC team that lost to TFC in the Eastern Conference Championship series a year ago.

Montreal Impact

It wasn’t the start Remi Garde hoped for, as the Impact conceded twice in a seven-minute span before Matteo Mancosu struck late in a 2-1 loss at Vancouver Sunday. The goal by Mancosu, who struggled in 2017, was a positive for the Impact, as was the performance of Jukka Raitala, who slotted next to Victor Cabrera in central defense.

Help in that department arrived from France on Monday with the signing of center back Rod Fanni, a 36-year-old from Olympique Marseille where he played two stints. Fanni replaces Zakaria Diallo, who is out for at least five months with a ruptured Achilles tendon.